David Farnor | On 27, Apr 2024

We Are Lady Parts returns to Channel 4 this May and new images give us a first look at the show’s second season.

Written, created, executive produced and directed by Nida Manzoor (Polite Society), the series charts the highs and lows of the band, named Lady Parts, as seen through the eyes of Amina Hussain (played by Anjana Vasan) – a geeky microbiology PhD student, on the lookout for love. Amina is recruited to be the bands’ unlikely lead guitarist. Lady Parts’ fierce and enigmatic frontwoman Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey) sees something in Amina and uses her desperation to find a husband as leverage, offering to set her up with potential matches if she agreed to join the band. Amina soon gets swept up in their joyful, anarchic energy and punk spirit. But she’s caught between two different worlds – her more strait-laced uni friends and the band, who urge her to find her voice.

“This funny, smart, surprising comedy about an all-girl Muslim punk band is an uproarious delight,” we wrote in our review of Season 1 back in 2021.

Now, the show is coming back for Season 2. Anjana Vasan (Wicked Little Letters, Black Mirror) returns as Amina Hussain, alongside Saira, who is played by Sarah Kameela Impey (Vera, Halcyon Heights), Juliette Motamed (Halo, Magic Mike’s Last Dance) as Ayesha, Faith Omole (An Ideal Husband, Endeavour) as Bisma and Lucie Shorthouse (Rebus, Henpocalypse!) as Momtaz, who completes the band.

The second season will also feature cameos from Malala Yousafzai, education activist and co-founder of the Malala fund, and comedy legend Meera Syal (The Kumars at No. 42, Goodness Gracious Me).

Season 2 sees the band return with a renewed artistic mission after the high of their first UK tour, only to find a rival band threatening their delicate status quo. But as the reality of chasing success sets in, Lady Parts embarks on recording their first album, juggling personal ambitions and questioning whether ‘making it big’ is really what they want…

Nida Manzoor, writer, creator, executive producer and director says: “Making series one of We Are Lady Parts was immense for me. It was a trial by fire, but I found my voice, my style and my confidence in creating this show. Most importantly, I found my tribe – from actors and crew to producers and studio execs. So, coming to series two, I was galvanised. The characters, the world, the tone – it was all there, established, and ready to go. Now it was time to turn things up to eleven. I wanted to go bolder, sillier, darker, and deeper and that is exactly what we strived to do.

“In series two, we explore the interior lives of each of the women in more depth. Each of them facing new, existential challenges with all the silliness, pratfalls, and banter of series one. The music is bigger too – more wild original tunes (penned by me and my siblings) and dare I say it, even better covers. The series overall asks the question of success. What is success? For a punk band – is fame, stadium shows, and major record deals the answer? I wanted to explore the uncomfortable tension between art and commerce and ask how much compromise is too much. I’m really proud of what we achieved and can’t wait to share it with old fans and new.”

Sason 2 will premiere on 30th May on Channel 4 in the UK and on Peacock in the USA on the same day.

 

We Are Lady Parts renewed for Season 2

23rd November 2021

Channel 4 has renewed We Are Lady Parts for a second season.

The series, from Nida Manzoor (Doctor Who, Enterprice, Hounslow Diaries), charts the highs and lows of the band, named Lady Parts, as seen through the eyes of Amina Hussain (played by Anjana Vasan) – a geeky microbiology PhD student, on the lookout for love.

The comedy debuted in May this year, before going on to win the 2021 Edinburgh TV Award for Best Comedy Series. Nida Manzoor was recently announced as the recipient of the 2021 Rose d’Or Emerging Talent Award, with the show also receiving a nomination for the Rose d’Or Comedy Drama & Sitcom award.

“This funny, smart, surprising comedy is an uproarious delight,” we wrote in our review.

After Season 1’s uplifting conclusion, Channel 4 has greenlit a second run, which has also been picked up by NBC’s Peacock in the USA.

Fiona McDermott, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, says: “We Are Lady Parts is the rallying cry from a fearlessly funny, contemporary and dial-shifting comedy that felt uniquely Channel 4 at its heart. The show deftly took big ideas around identity, representation, gender and creativity and wrapped them up in a truly original and hilarious show full of love, romance and sisterly power. From one of the most inventive and ambitious writer-directors around, we’re so delighted to be working with Nida, the exceptional cast and team at Working Title Television, NBCUniversal International Studios and our brilliant partners at Peacock to bring this back again.”

Manzoor adds: “I feel so incredibly lucky and excited to have the opportunity to make a second series of We Are Lady Parts. I can’t wait to delve back into the world of the band and go deeper into their lives. Expect more high jinks, more music, and more flights of fancy. SPARTA!”

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